In terms of caliber of the teams and the stakes, the biggest Class AA game of the regular season’s final weekend is the Bryan County boys at No. 5 Vidalia. On the line is the Region 2-AA regular season title, which Vidalia won last year as part of an unbeaten run that ended in the state semifinals. Bryan County won the first meeting this season, 80-51 on Jan. 9, but the Indians come in as the hotter team, winners of nine straight. Bryan County, meanwhile, has faded somewhat down the stretch. Entering Thursday night’s game at Statesboro, the Redskins have lost three of their last six.
Model programs
Model’s boys and girls teams completed their regular seasons on Tuesday, and each will enter next week’s Region 7-AA tournament holding the top seed and the home-court advantage. The tournament, which runs Monday-Saturday of next week, was awarded this year to the top boys team, a distinction the ninth-ranked Blue Devils clinched with Tuesday’s win over Darlington.
6-AA is settled
Tuesday’s win for the top-ranked Holy Innocents’ girls over No. 3 Wesleyan ended any remaining drama and solidified the top three seeds heading into next week’s Region 6-AA tournament. The Lady Bears (24-0) are locked in at the top spot, followed by Wesleyan (17-6), and ninth-ranked Lovett (15-7). That’s the hierarchy that’s been in place for the majority of the season, but judging by recent margins of victory in recent games, the disparity between the three isn’t insurmountable in a one-game tournament setting. It is worth noting, however, that Holy Innocents’ will have the benefit of playing on its home court throughout, which could make the chances of an upset somewhere along the way a little more remote.
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The girls region-by-region review/preview is below, similar to the one we did for the boys on Tuesday.
Further down, look for Tuesday's results and the weekend schedule for the top 10. …
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Region 1
Team to beat: Pelham. The Lady Hornets haven’t lost to a team from the state of Georgia all season, and have had only one region game decided by single digits.
Biggest threat: Early County. The Lady Bobcats are the only 1-AA team to keep it close against Pelham this season, but could enter the tournament anywhere from the No. 2 to No. 4 seed, depending on this weekend’s results.
Region 2
Team to beat: McIntosh County Academy. Though Vidalia is the only 2-AA team in the top 10 and has the stronger overall body of work, no team in the region is playing better than the Lady Buccaneers right now. They’ve won their last six region games – including a 62-60 defeat of Vidalia on Jan. 23 – and hold a one-game lead on the top spot with two games remaining.
Biggest threat: Vidalia. A loss at St. Vincent’s on Tuesday has the Lady Indians fighting to hold on to the No. 2 seed, but this may be the region’s most well-balanced team.
Also keep an eye on: Region 2-AA may have the deepest pool of dangerous teams, but the one that can’t go unmentioned is Jeff Davis. The Lady Jackets are 18-5 overall and could still emerge with the No. 2 seed heading into next week’s tournament.
Region 3
Team to beat: Metter. No team in 3-AA is in ranked in the state’s top 10, but the Lady Tigers are quietly taking care of business in region play, where they’re 11-0.
Biggest threat: Dublin. There’s not much separation between No. 1 and No. 2 here. Though Dublin lost both of its games against Metter, the combined margin of victory was just three points.
Darkhorse: Swainsboro. The Lady Tigers are hovering at .500 overall, but has the potential to beat every team in 3-AA. They defeated No. 2 seed Dublin, 50-36, on Jan. 31, and played top seeded Metter to within three points earlier this season.
Region 4
Team to beat: Putnam County. The Lady Eagles have already clinched the regular season title thanks to a region-leading totals in points scored (51.9) and points allowed (34.7) per game.
Biggest threat: Macon County. Though they’re fighting with Bleckley County for the No. 2 seed, the Lady Bulldogs are the only team in 4-AA with a win over Putnam.
Darkhorse: Northeast-Macon. The Lady Raiders can make it tough to score (37.4 points allowed per game in region play), and good defense is usually reliable.
Region 5
Team to beat: Manchester. The Lady Blue Devils have won 18 straight since a 60-59 loss to Greenville on Dec. 13.
Biggest threat: Bowdon. The Lady Red Devils, who have won six of their last seven, appear to be the only team in the region capable of keeping pace with Manchester.
Region 6
Team to beat: Holy Innocents’. 24-0 pretty much speaks for itself.
Biggest threat: Wesleyan. The Lady Wolves are ranked No. 3 in the state for good reason, and have shown they can play with HIES in their two losses (59-49 on Jan. 10, 52-46 on Tuesday).
Also keep an eye on: Lovett. The Lady Lions appear to be the No. 3 team in 6-AA by a good margin after Tuesday’s 19-point win over GAC. And though they suffered some lopsided losses earlier this season, their most recent games with Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan were competitive.
Region 7
Team to beat: Model. Unbeaten in the region, and currently holding a 4.5-game lead over the Darlington and Armuchee.
Biggest threat: Darlington gets the slightest of edges over Armuchee here. The Lady Tigers lost back-to-back games (including 64-59 at Armuchee) after losing Rachel Simon due to injury, but won twice over the Lady Indians earlier in the season. They’re also the only team in the region with a win over Model – albeit in a non-region holiday tournament game.
Also keep an eye on: Armuchee. Both of the Lady Indians’ losses came by respectable margins, and they’ve won seven of their last eight overall.
Region 8
Team to beat: Union County. The Lady Panthers are tied with Rabun County atop the region at 8-1, but has won its last seven overall, including a 63-52 win over Rabun on Jan. 30.
Biggest threat: Rabun County. The Lady Tigers are the only team in 8-AA to defeat Union County this season.
Darkhorse: There appears to be a significant gap between the top two team in 8-AA and the rest of the region, but Oglethorpe County is worth mentioning here, primarily due to the exploits of Trenetta Smith (18.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4 spg) and Rayne Pyfrom (12.4 ppg, 19.8 rpg, and 3 bpg).
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TOP TEN SCHEDULES
Boys
1. Pace Acdemy (22-2)
- Tuesday: Won at B.E.S.T. Academy, 70-36. Twelve Knights scored, led by Wendell Carter's 14 points, as they won their 15th straight.
- Friday: at Wesleyan
2. Seminole County (20-3)
- Tuesday: Won vs. No. 7 Thomasville, 72-64. Jahmyka Pearson had 24 points and Jordan Harris scored 23 as the Indians clinched the regular season title in Region 1-AA.
- Friday: vs. Early County
3. Holy Innocents’ (20-4)
- Tuesday: Won vs. Wesleyan, 69-47
- Friday: at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
4. Crawford County (20-3)
- Friday: vs. Lamar County
5. Vidalia (22-2)
- Monday: Won at Benedictine, 44-43
- Wednesday: Won at Montgomery County, 59-47. Will Chambliss led the Indians with 14 points.
- Friday: vs. Bryan County
6. Greater Atlanta Christian (15-8)
- Tuesday: Won vs. Lovett, 72-49
- Friday: vs. B.E.S.T. Academy
7. Thomasville (16-7)
- Tuesday: Lost at No. 2 Seminole County, 72-64
- Friday: vs. Fitzgerald
- Saturday: vs. Brooks County
8. Harlem (20-3)
- Friday: vs. East Laurens
9. Model (19-4)
- Tuesday: Won at Darlington, 62-59. VJ Saxton had 24 points and nine rebounds as the Blue Devils rallied in the final 90 seconds for the win to clinch the regular season crown in Region 7-AA.
10. Coosa (18-4)
- Tuesday: Won vs. Chattooga, 62-46. The Eagles earned key win to take sole possession of second place in 7-AA with one game remaining. Chattooga had won 10 of its last 11 entering the game, including a 79-72 win over Coosa on Jan. 9. Xavier Bailey led four Eagles in double figures in the rematch, finishing with 13 points, four assists and two steals.
- Friday: at Dade County
Girls
1. Holy Innocents’ (24-0)
- Tuesday: Won vs. No. 3 Wesleyan, 52-46. Sydney Long led the Lady Bears with 15 points as they clinched the regular season 6-AA title. HIES is now up to No. 19 in the MaxPreps.com national rankings.
- Friday: at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
2. Pelham (23-1)
- Tuesday: Won vs. Brooks County, 75-45. Quadranique Franklin scored 21, and Briunna Freeman added 19 as the Lady Hornets wrapped up the 1-AA regular season championship.
- Friday: vs. Berrien
3. Wesleyan (18-6)
- Tuesday: Lost at No. 1 Holy Innocents', 52-46. Regardless of Friday's outcome, the Lady Wolves will enter next week's 6-AA tournament as the No. 2 seed.
- Friday: vs. Pace Academy
4. Model (22-2)
- Tuesday: Won vs. No. 5 Darlington, 55-46. Freshman post Victaria Saxton scored 12 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 rebounds as the Lady Devils won their 11th straight.
5. Darlington (17-6)
- Tuesday: Lost vs. No. 4 Model, 55-46
- Friday: at Chattooga
- Saturday: at Cedartown
6. Putnam County (18-4)
- Tuesday: at Northeast-Macon (no score reported)
- Saturday: at Jones County
7. Vidalia (20-4)
Monday: Lost at St. Vincent’s, 49-40
Wednesday: Won at Montgomery County, 63-42
Friday: vs. Bryan County
8. Lovett (15-7)
- Tuesday: Won at Greater Atlanta Christian, 46-27
- Friday: vs. Hapeville Charter
9. Union County (17-5)
- Friday: vs. Social Circle
10. Manchester (20-2)
- Tuesday: Won vs. Chattahoochee County, 60-32
- Friday: at Temple
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